Troubles after the War
by CSnow
Summary: Everyone has settled down after the war against the Dark Lord.  But when a young girl with red eyes appears, what will Harry, Hermione, and Ron do with Tom Riddle's daughter?
1. Anilla Riddle

DISCLAIMER: Character's aren't mine, they're the property of JK Rowling. Only Anilla Riddle is from my imagination! enjoy. :)

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"Ms. Granger?"

"Yes?" Hermione turned to look at her assistant.

"Here is the list of the children that will invited to attend Hogwarts next year."

"Thank you, Manniene." Hermione took the list and quickly looked through it. There was a larger incoming class than usual, but that was to be expected in the times of peace. They'd been living so long in the tenseness of a warring world that she had needed some time to get used to it, even if it was an enormous relief. As she skimmed the list, her eyes stopped at one particular name and suddenly her back straightened as she almost jumped out of her chair. Taking a quill, she slowly circled the name that had caught her attention: Anilla Riddle.

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Anilla looked around the small yard at the orphanage and quickly moved to sit under a secluded tree. It was a cloudy day but she wore her dark glasses anyway. Ever since the doctor had given them to her, she had striven to keep them around her. It made things so much simpler when people didn't look at her eyes.

"Hey Freak."

So much for people not noticing her. She didn't answer them, hoping they would just go away, but as usual, they didn't.

"I'm talking to you!"

"What do you want?" She asked crossly.

"I want to know if you're really the devil's daughter. Take of those glasses." Anilla sighed, it had been a while since someone had challenged her like that. Unfortunately, her confinement to the orphanage grounds did not give her much of a chance to escape or many options on where to hide. She stared off into the distance, trying to look at the rooftops of nearby houses. The clouds looked like they were about to let the rain fall. Someone grabbed her by the collar and pulled her up to her feet. She gasped and her hands came up to try to free herself but at the same time, someone knocked her glasses off of her face. She quickly closed her eyes and put her head down, hoping against hope that this wouldn't be a repeat of the last few months. "I knew it." The other girl sneered. "And you know what's the best part?" She whispered at her ear. "No one is going to stand up for the devil's daughter. You completely deserve what's coming to you."

As the attacks came, Anilla tried vainly to duck and avoid as many hits as she could. She scooped up her glasses and put them back on—they made her feel safer and more confident about facing the other girls. "I'm not—the—devil's daughter." She said between gasps as she tried to defend herself. She tried to run out of their reach, but the secluded tree where she had tried to hide was in a corner of the yard and she didn't have much place to go. And then she screamed.

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Hermione walked over to the door and called her assistant in. "Manniene, do you have the addresses for these children?"

"Of course, Ms. Granger. They're in this list over here." She handed over along roll of parchment. "The letters are going to be sent out in the next couple of days, I believe. Is everything all right, Ms. Granger?"

"We'll see, Manniene, we'll see." Hermione took the roll of parchment and returned to her office. She copied down the child's address on a small piece of parchment and sat back thoughtfully. "St. Murdos Orphanage." She whispered. It was in the middle of a large muggle community, quite far from London. "It could just be a coincidence." She hoped it was. Even if it wasn't, she wasn't about to form conclusions on the fate of a child due to a name. Still, she decided she'd have to pay this young potential student a visit and see for herself.

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"Who is sending you these letters?" The old matron asked the girl with bandaged eyes in the small room. There were only four beds in the room for sick children who could not be treated in their own rooms. The orphanage didn't have the funds for more, and Matron Akaris was tired of the problems this young charge always presented.

"I'm sorry Matron Akaris, I don't know what letters you're talking about…" Anilla protested.

" These letters. Letters about some wizarding school. What is this about wizards? Magic is evil, you hear me? Evil! Stop playing those pranks and shape up girl, otherwise no one is going to seriously think about adopting you." The matron slammed the letters on the bed, and Anilla cringed. "You can't stay here forever."

"I haven't seen them or read them, and I don't have any contacts outside the orphanage, matron—"  
"Excuse me, Matron Akaris." A young girl looked into the sickroom. She saw Anilla sitting on a bed with her eyes bandaged and quickly looked away. "There is a lady here to talk to you, says she's from London."

"London?" Akaris stood up and tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her simple gown. "She's in my office then?"  
"Yes ma'am."  
"All right then." She turned to Anilla and said "This isn't over. We're going to discuss this again and get to the bottom of these… these letters!" as she stalked away.

Anilla sighed and let herself slide back down to lay on the bed. Her eyes stung with tears that just made the pain worse.

In another part of the orphanage, Hermione sat in a comfortable arm chair in the matron's office. It seemed like the orphanage was affiliated with an old church organization and the establishments seemed to be run well. She stood up as the door opened.

"Hello dear, and welcome, welcome to St. Murdos's Orphanage. I'm Matron Akaris, how can I help you?"

Well, Hermione thought, the woman seemed friendly enough. "I'm Hermione Granger, here to talk to one of your charges."  
"Has someone recommended you to our establishment?" The matron flushed proudly. "Do you have any ideas to what kind of child you would like to consider? We have several sweet, young, and obedient girls that—"  
"Matron Akaris, I'm looking for a particular young woman by the name of Anilla Riddle." Hermione interjected quickly. "I would like to meet the girl."  
Matron Akaris's smile dropped from her face. "Why would you want to—" she caught herself and shook her head. "I'm sorry Ms. Granger, I didn't know you had a particular girl in mind. May I ask, what this is about?"

"Matron Akaris, I'm afraid I would need to speak with Ms. Riddle in private before divulging too much more information."

Akaris thought for a moment. What could happen? If they could take the young problem maker from her hands, all the better. But no one had ever come to see the girl, only that doctor that really, was too accommodating. "All right, follow me this way."

Hermione stood up and followed the matron as she led her down the halls.

"I'm afraid you've caught us at a bad moment." Matron Akaris said quickly as they approached the sickroom. "Anilla has recently gotten into a little dispute with some other children and we felt that isolating her was the best way to ensure… limited contact and fewer possibilities of further problems." She opened the door and motioned for Hermione to walk in. "This is our sickroom." Hermione looked around and saw the shape of a small girl laying on one of the beds. "Anilla!" Akaris walked towards the bed. "There is a young lady here to see you." She said as she stepped to the side of the bed.

Hermione walked towards them slowly. She frowned. The young girl's eyes had been bandaged crudely and even without a diagnostic spell she could tell she was in pain. Anilla pushed herself up into a sitting position. Hermione glanced at the other woman.

"Dear Matron Akaris, would you mind waiting outside while I have a word with this young lady?" Matron Akaris was startled. She was usually present during any conversations her charges had with potential parents. Somehow, she didn't think Ms. Granger was here to adopt Anilla though. She still didn't want the girl to give lady a bad impression of her establishment though.

"Ah, Ms. Granger, I would much rather stay so I can help you see the wonderful work we're doing for these—"  
"I can see that myself Matron Akaris, thank you. I would like to speak to Anilla privately for a few minutes, if you would so indulge me?" Hermione gave her her most winning smile. The woman was starting to get on her nerves.

"All right." Akaris briskly walked to the door. She paused and addressed Anilla. "Behave and be polite, young lady." Then she walked out the door and pulled it closed behind her.

Hermione sat down at the edge of the bed and noticed the letters from Hogwarts. "Anilla, I'm Ms. Granger. I'd like to talk to you about these letters."  
Anilla turned to face the voice addressing her. Hermione found it a little startling how precisely she had located her voice. "What letters?" She asked softly.

"These letters from the Hogwarts School of Wizardy."  
"I don't know anything about those letters." The young girl stammered. "I swear, I didn't have anything to do with them—"

"Hush child, I know who sent them." Hermione frowned. This seemed to be another case where muggles weren't going to be very accepting of the world of magic. "First things first." She leaned in and asked softly. "What happened to you? Are you in pain?"

Anilla avoided the first question but nodded softly.

"Would it be all right if I took a look? I think I can make it better." Hermione said soothingly.

Anilla nodded hesitantly. Hermione took out her wand after checking to see that they were alone and the blinds were closed. She made a small charm on the door to lock it and to warn her if anyone was going to try to come in. She made a diagnostic spell and then started to remove the bandages. When she was close to removing them, she saw the girl shaking and noticed that the bandages had dried blood on them. Hermione frowned and conjured some water to dampen the bandages and slowly took off the last of it. She gasped at the sight.

"They broke my glasses." Anilla said softly. "While I was wearing them."


	2. Red Eyes

DISCLAIMER: Characters (except Anilla Riddle) aren't mine, they're the property of JK Rowling.

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"Oh darling." Hermione breathed. "Just a moment." She dug around her purse. She always tried to pack some healing potions with her and it wasn't long until she found one. She helped Anilla lay back down and poured some drops over the girl's eyes. She should really be seen by a doctor, Hermione thought, as she found some clean bandages to replace the other ones. Or Madame Pomfrey, she added silently. "That should help the pain a little."

Anilla nodded. The pain in her eyes was starting to fade. "You know who sent those letters?"  
"Yes."  
"Could you ask them to stop? I really don't want to be any more trouble for the orphanage."

"You've received the letter because you will be growing into some very special powers." Hermione started. "I know it may be hard to believe, but if magic exists and you receive these powers, don't you think it would be better to learn how to use them?"

Anilla shook her head. "Magic is evil, I don't want it—please, please take it away." The young girl sounded desperate. Hermione patted her hand but before she could respond, she felt the warning from the charm on the door and quickly disabled them and hid her wand. Matron Akaris walked in. "Please make the letters stop coming." The young girl whispered.

"Ms. Granger, would you like to see the rest of the establishment?" Akaris asked, looking between Anilla and Hermione. Perhaps she could convince the young lady to consider seeing other, more exemplary charges that gave her establishment its good name.

"Actually, I must be leaving. I would like to come by tomorrow and speak to Ms. Riddle again, however." Hermione looked at the young girl that hadn't moved. She leaned over to Anilla and whispered in her ear. "We'll continue this conversation, but I will ask that no more letters be sent to you. I'll have a copy for you to read once your eyes are better." The girl gave an an almost unperceptible nod. Hermione turned to the matron. "If you don't mind, Matron Akaris, I will bring a friend with me and resume my conversation with this young lady."  
Akaris couldn't find a reason to deny her that. "Of course, milady."

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The next day, Hermione made a quick morning trip to Hogwarts and talked to Madame Pomfrey. Since the school year had not started yet, there were no reasons why the Healer couldn't take a little trip to help her, and they apparated to an alley close to the orphanage. They walked up the steps as curious, hopeful faces looked out of the windows at them.

"My, some of these children are adorable!" Madame whispered. "However, most of them need more food and rest."

Hermione nodded. "however, this is probably one of the better muggle orphanages." She spotted Matron Akaris and called out a greeting. "Matron Akaris! Good day to you."  
"Ms. Granger." Akaris turned around and smiled politely. She'd had a talk earlier with that girl, Anilla, and warned her to stay on the lady's good side. No need for her to tarnish the name of the institution, after all.

"Matron Akaris, this is Madame Pomfrey, a good friend of mine. I trust that Anilla is still in the sickroom?"  
"Yes, Ms. Granger. But—"  
"Don't worry Matron Akaris, I remember the way. We'll just chat with her for a few moments, if you don't mind." Hermione wasn't really in the mood for an extensive conversation with the woman.  
"Of—of course." Akaris looked after them as they walked down the hallway.

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Anilla was laying in her bed, thinking, when the door opened. She hoped it wasn't the matron again.

"Anilla—" Hermione started. "I'm Ms. Granger, remember, from yesterday?" Anilla nodded. "I brought a friend of mine with me, she's a nurse of sorts. I think she can help you with your eyes."  
Anilla turned towards them. "Really? That would be great, they're starting to hurt again. Thank you for what you put on them yesterday, it really helped a lot."

"Well, let's take a quick look." Madame Pomfrey took out her wand as Hermione secured the room. "Oh dear, they haven't even cleaned out your wounds completely." She made a little wave with her wand. "There, that should take care of the glass. My dear, what happened to you?" she asked as she made a small spell to help heal the cuts on her eyes. "Your eyes may be sore now, but you should be able to open them dear."

Anilla shook her head. Her eyes felt better, and she reached up with her hands to touch them.

"No, no, darling, don't rub them, that will make them hurt right now. I need you to open your eyes to make sure there was no further damage though." Madame Pomfrey gently caught hold of Anilla's hands and brought them down to the bed. "come on now, it's okay."

Anilla hesitated. The women had been nice to her and her eyes felt a lot better now, but she didn't want to guess what their reactions would be to her eyes. Well, truthfully, she really didn't have to guess. Hermione walked back to the bed and sat down next to Anilla.

"Madame Pomfrey is one of the best at what she does, Anilla. Come now, open your eyes, it's all right."

Anilla sighed and blinked a few times before looking up at the women. Both of them gasped and Madame Pomfrey took a step back and pointed her wand at the girl. Anilla closed her eyes and looked away. Hermione composed herself and sent a pointed look at Madame Pomfrey that said: calm down and treat her as a patient. She's just a child. Then she looked back at Anilla and gently patted her hand.

"It's okay, I'm sorry, we were just startled." Hermione said, trying to keep her voice even. "Let's place those bandages back on so your eyes can rest. We'll talk about the letters another day."

Hermione stood up to walk out, but before they left the room, they heard a whisper come from the girl on the bed.

"Thank you. For treating my eyes." The young girl had rolled over in their direction, but the eyes that had troubled them so were now bandaged and she looked like a regular child.

"You're welcome." Hermione answered and then walked out the door. She led Madame Pomfrey back to the alley and they apparated to Hogsmeade. Both of them sat down at a table to think. They didn't really need to talk to know what was in each other's minds though. The image wasn't something they would soon forget. A pair of sad, red eyes. Voldemort's eyes.


	3. Insight to Anilla's past

DISCLAIMER: Only Anilla is my character, all others are property of JK Rowling.

A/N: Harry's going to play an important part of the story, I just had to introduce Anilla first to get the plot rolling… and if you're interested in the story, please send me a note. I'd love to hear from you!

* * *

"Madame Pomfrey." Hermione finally looked up at the elderly witch. "I'm going to talk to Harry about this, but please don't tell anyone else. Not yet."

"What about the headmistress?"

"Yes, I'll speak to Headmistress McGonagall as well." Hermione paused. "And Ron. With his job in the Ministry, he may be in a position to help us find out more about her. But I think they're the only ones that need to know right now. No sense in jumping into conclusions."

"Hermione, who is this girl? Her eyes…" Madame Pomfrey shuddered.

"I wasn't sure, at first. It could have been a coincidence… she's on the list of potential Hogwarts students for the coming year. I only decided to check on her because of her last name. Riddle."

"But you don't mean..?!?" Madame Pomfrey gasped. "Is she related to Voldemort?"

"I'm not sure, but everything points to that being the case. Come on, let's head back to the school and I'll floo the others to set up a meeting."

* * *

"Hermione!" Harry looked up from his desk, where he had been looking over his plans for the next year. It was going to be the third year he taught DADA, and he was starting to get the hang of it. It wasn't too much different from the DA all those years back, except that he was able to distance himself from the happenings a little more and was able to take his time to teach now that there was no imminent danger. "Fancy seeing you at Hogwarts. I didn't know you'd made the trip over!"

"Hi Harry." Hermione smiled. It seemed like the change of pace had done her friend some good. He just didn't seem to be cut out for being an Auror after all those years fighting against Voldemort—it was a position too dependent on the opinions of others and the whims of politicians, and even if Harry had done so much fighting for the light, he certainly deserved a calmer life after his tumultuous childhood and teenage years.

"How are you? What brings you here?"

"I wanted you to come to a meeting with McGonagall and Ron."

"Sure." Harry said standing up and brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I have time now, if that works for the others." Hermione nodded and together they walked towards the headmistress office. Dumbledore had retired as Headmaster from Hogwarts and was now living peacefully in a small cottage in Godric's Hollow, serving as a consultant for the Ministry of Magic and helping McGonagall run Hogwarts. Even if it hadn't been his office for a few years now, it still felt weird for them to walk into the office and not find him there.

"Minerva, Ron." Harry greeted the others. They all turned to Hermione, and she cleared her throat nervously.

"Thank you for coming. It may be nothing, but I thought it only prudent to bring it to your attention." Hermione paused and looked around. "We may be expecting a rather—unusual—student this year. Her name is Anilla Riddle."

"Riddle?" Harry repeated, startled. His eyes narrowed. "Related to Tom Riddle?"

"I think so." Hermione continued quickly. "It's not just her name—her eyes… they're red like Voldemort's." She quickly told them the little that she knew. McGonagall nodded.

"We should learn as much as we can about her. Ron, if you could try to find out if anyone at the Ministry has any idea of the existence of the child—"

He nodded, his red hair gleaming in the light of the fireplace. "Why don't we just bring her in and ask her—"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed in a shocked tone. "She's a child!"

"She may also be a threat that we need to watch out for. You don't want another Dark Lord, do you?"

"You can't blame her for Voldemort's actions." Harry said firmly. "As far as I can tell, she hasn't done anything—she hasn't even had the chance to do anything yet."

"Harry is right, Ron." McGonagall replied. "We need to be observant, but not judgmental." Ron muttered under his breath, then sighed.

"I know you're right, I'm just—being overly cautious I guess."

"Hermione, when are you going back to this orphanage?" Harry asked.

"In two days. I found out that the matron is leaving for a week on some religious conference, I thought it might be a good chance to talk to Anilla some more."

He nodded. "I'm coming with you."

* * *

Harry walked to the orphanage with Hermione. When they arrived, the door was opened by an elderly woman, dressed in a plain brown dress.

"Hello, may I help you?"

Hermione introduced herself and Harry as visitors for Anilla. The old woman nodded and motioned them to come in.

"Matron Akaris mentioned something about visitors for Anilla. I must say I'm intrigued, she doesn't usually receive any visits. Would you mind having some tea with me before you meet our young charge?" she asked as she walked them to the matron's office and motioned for a girl to bring them tea. "My name is Kari, and I've helped Matron Akaris with this establishment since she became the matron. I've been here long before Anilla joined us." She said as she sat down and motioned them to do the same. She smiled at them calmly as some of the elder children came in with tea and biscuits. "ah, there we go. It always makes such meetings more pleasant." She commented as they walked out and closed the office door behind them. "now, " she said, looking at Harry and Hermione inquisitively. "Why all this sudden interest in our establishment? Or is your interest in Anilla herself?"

Hermione looked over at Harry, not quite sure how much to say. Harry cleared his throat and leaned forward. "Does it make a difference?"

"Certainly." Kari replied. "It will determine what our conversation will be like. Matron Akaris is worried that you have come regarding those letters and are wishing to discredit our affiliation with the friars. If that is the case, then there are some things that I can clarify for you about Anilla's past and what the orphanage has done in this situation. However, if you're here purely in the interests of knowing about the child—my main concern is her protection." Her eyes grew hard. "She may not be the best of children, but she is a child."

"I'm glad you see it that way." Hermione agreed quickly. "I wasn't sure after meeting Matron Akaris—"

Kari sighed. "Akaris often forgets that times are hard for the young ones."

"Let me assure you then, that we are here interested in the young lady, and not your affiliation with the friars." Harry said.

Kari pursed her lips, raised her eyebrows and asked "Do you have something to do with those letters?"

"Well, we may know where they are coming from." Harry admitted slowly. They turned to watch as the elderly lady walked to the door and locked it. He raised an eyebrow and was about to ask when he caught the woman's pointed look.

"Not another word." She hesitated as she stood in front of the door. "Now, you realize that I in no way represent this establishment or the friars?" Hermione and Harry traded looks and then nodded at her. What was this woman driving at? "Wands please." Kari smiled and motioned them to take them out. "I would like to see them, if you don't mind." She continued as Harry and Hermione hesitantly revealed their wands. "If it wouldn't be any trouble, could you make sure that no one can hear us?" Harry complied with some silencing charms quickly placed around the room. Kari seemed to finally relax as she walked back to the table smiling at her visitors. "Now, where were we?"

"You know about Hogwarts." Hermione whispered.

"Well, know of it, a little, yes. My grandniece received a letter like that not too long ago, I believe. Must say that finding out that magic was real was a real shock on the nerves. Never mind that my sister's son-in-law was a low-level wizard. Up to that point, we all knew his family was a little weird, but--" She sighed as she poured them some tea. "Anilla is a witch, is she? That explains a few things."

"What things?" Harry asked.

"I really should have noticed it." Kari mused as she sat back.

-----flashback-----

"Kari! Kari, look after that girl, she's starting a rampage again!" Akaris called, frustration clear in her voice.

Kari looked at the young matron with an indulging smile. The poor woman really had no idea what she'd gotten herself into when she agreed to take the girls on a trip to the museum. They might be better behaved than boys their age, but they were still children. She chuckled as she walked towards Anilla, the young five year old that had started to wander into a different exhibition.

"Anilla! Come on darling, don't get separated from the group!"

"Kari, Kari! Come look at this!" the young girl giggled as she pointed towards an exhibition of a mummified cat behind a glass display. "It's a really old kitty."

Kari smiled at the young girl with sparkling brown eyes. "Yes, it is. But don't you want to see the other exhibitions?"

"No, I want to play with the kitty."

"You can't play with the kitty, Anilla, it's old and they have it behind the glass so that others can see it." Anilla allowed herself to be pulled away reluctantly. Half an hour later, the group was looking at the exhibition of scrolls, although most of the girls found it quite boring. Except one. Anilla was standing in front of a particular section mouthing some words.

"Anilla, hurry or you'll be lagging behind and get Matron Akaris's attention again!" Kari nudged the girl away from the exhibit.

"Can we go back and play with the kitty?"

"Maybe on the way out."

As the tour neared its end, Anilla ran ahead of the others towards the mummified cat's display. She looked at it intently and started muttering a chant. When the others caught up with her, she didn't notice that the pitch of her voice had changed to a low rumble, or that the glass had started to vibrate.

"Anilla?" Akaris called. "Kari, get the girl, what is she doing—" The matron's eyes widened when she heard the girl's voice. Kari was too far back in the group, having been in charge of the stragglers to reach Anilla in time. One of the girls screamed. The mummified cat had started to move in its cage.

"Kitty!" Anilla said happily in her own voice as she stretched out a hand, but she was too short to reach the display case. "Kitty, come play!" The glass shattered and Akaris quickly grabbed Anilla out of the way of the falling shards.

"Anilla, what have you—" Akaris's voice lowered to a whisper when she saw the child's eyes. Their normal brown color had turned a dusk red. "Anilla, what's gotten into you?"

Another girl pointed at the cat, which had now jumped out of the cage and started to walk towards Anilla, and screamed. Akaris looked around and almost fainted at the sight of the cat walking towards her. She shook Anilla's arm and shouted.

"What have you done? What are you doing? What is this?" she yelled hysterically.

Anilla jumped at the matron's voice and the cat stopped moving with one paw stretched to take another step. A museum curator rushed over and stared at the scene, but the matron was already ushering her charges out and onto a bus, without a look back.

--------------end flashback--------------------------

"I think that would have been the first instance of anything weird happening around her. Before that, she was a normal baby---delightful, actually. She was left at the church's doorstep and the friars brought her here as a baby." Kari said sadly. "Unfortunately things escalated after that. There were stories about moving objects, nightmares, and even a couple of hallucinations. I don't know for sure, I wasn't here all the time. I just come by and help with the children when I can." Hermione nodded.

"Well, things had started to get out of control and she was starting to scare the other girls. Matron Akaris decided that an intervention was in order."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "What kind of an intervention?"

"Matron Akaris called the friars, prayed with them, and decided to call one of the higher-order priests to come and perform an exorcism." Kari looked at their appalled faces.

"They didn't know what to do, and it seemed to work. Nothing has happened since, except that her eyes have grown to be more red than they used to be. They no longer are brown, I'm sure you've noticed it." Hermione nodded. "The doctor came to check her afterwards and said she was all right. When he noticed her eyes, he came back the next day with a pair of tinted glasses. She's taken to wear them all the time now. I try to get her a new pair if she breaks the ones she has." Kari fingered her purse and withdrew a new pair of glasses. "I was about to go give them to her when you knocked on the door."


	4. Harry, Anilla, and the Hogwarts Express

DISCLAIMER: JK Rowlings owns the characters, except for Anilla…

* * *

Harry looked around as students arrived on Platform 9 ¾ to take the Hogwarts Express. He had met Anilla Riddle and agreed with Hermione—the girl deserved a chance and he was going to make sure that she got one. His childhood had been a series of events mostly dictated by what had happened when he was a baby and he didn't wish that fate on anyone else, not even a girl that could be Tom Riddle's daughter. He hadn't seen her eyes, but perhaps that was just as well. He was there to meet Kari and Anilla, as the elderly woman had volunteered to drop her off at the train station. Harry didn't usually do this, but who else would? After all, he mused, if there was someone who should watch Voldemort's child's debut in the wizarding world, who was better than the Boy Who Lived?

Harry thought back to the day he had purchased a wand for Anilla. It couldn't have been mere coincidence that the wand she had picked that wand. Afterwards, he had suggested for Hermione to take some time browsing the nearby bookstore while he took Anilla to the Three Broomsticks for a little shopping break. He had needed some questions answered.

-----flashback------

The establishment wasn't very crowded that time of day, but busy enough that no one would pay attention to them. It was fortunate that wizards in Hogsmeade had become accustomed to his presence in the town due to his position as teacher at Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter." Anilla said as she tried the butterbeer. Her eyebrows shot up as she realized that she greatly enjoyed the taste of the drink despite her initial hesitation at its name.

"Anilla, can you tell me what you remember about previous times in your life where you may have accidentally used magic?"

"That I remember, you mean?" Anilla smiled. "I guess the most memorable one was at the museum. I didn't understand it then, and I'm not sure I particularly understand it now. It's quite fuzzy, the memory, I mean."

"Why don't you tell me what you remember?"

Anilla nodded. "I remember seeing a cat, all wrapped up so it couldn't move. I don't know how, but I could sense that it was lonely and since I hadn't been able to convince anyone at the orphanage to let me get a pet, I thought it would be nice if the cat and I could be playmates. I remember Kari dragging me away from the display and then seeing some scrolls. The symbols on the scroll were dancing and making shapes, moving." She paused. "When I told someone later, they told me I must have been hallucinating. But that doesn't explain how the song on the scrolls let the kitty loose, did it?" She giggled. "I could hear Matron Akaris telling me to stop and everyone making a big deal about the whole thing, but by then I was having too much fun so I didn't listen and kept going until the cat got out. Didn't get to play with it though." She sighed.

"Pity." Harry said, smiling. "I set off a boa on my cousin when I was about your age. Accidentally, of course."

"Where?" she asked, her eyes shining.

"At the zoo." Harry chuckled.

"I wish I could've gone to the zoo. I hope I get to go someday!" Anilla said happily. "Do they have zoos here? Would they have dragons? Or unicorns? Or—"

Harry laughed. "I'm not sure, I haven't been to one. Maybe we should plan a trip together—" he cut himself off as he realized what he was saying. It was too easy to forget who this child was sometimes. "Anyway, tell me of any other instances you remember of using magic."

Anilla paused. "The others weren't such good memories." Harry nodded at her encouragingly. "When we got back to the orphanage, Matron Akaris had a fit. I don't know how else to describe it…" her voice lowered to a whisper. "She shut me in a closet and locked it until she was able to calm down. I could hear Kari arguing with her for a while, then they moved further away. Apparently she wanted to separate me from the other children so I wouldn't infect them with—whatever it was she thought I had. I didn't understand it and I sulked, but then I got hungry, and tired, and there wasn't much room in that closet…" Anilla's voice trailed off. "I don't know what happened, but eventually Kari took me out. She gave me some food and told me to stay in the sickroom for a few days. Finally, they let me back into the dorm room, but sometimes I wish they'd let me stay in the sickroom. The girls were afraid of me, I don't know what they'd been told. One night someone tried to smother me with a pillow." She laughed nervously. "I was told later that it was a prank, but when I couldn't breathe—" she stole a look at Harry, who was watching her with hooded eyes, "when I couldn't breathe, something seemed to snap. And things around me apparently started to fly around the room and some of them hit the girls. I didn't see it, but at least it was enough to get them off of me that night."

"Then there was the first time I saw the change in my eyes. They used to be brown, you know. We don't have many mirrors in the orphanage, but there are a couple in the rooms that Matron Akaris uses. I was cleaning her bathroom." She fidgeted in her seat. "I broke them."

"Them?" Harry asked quietly.

"The mirror, the windows, the glass pots she had stuff in, anything—anything breakable broke. Except I didn't touch anything, I swear! I ran out and hid under my bed I was scared, I scared myself, I---I didn't mean to break those things."

"it's okay, Anilla."

"The last one I remember happened the day before they took me to the friars." Anilla gripped her butterbeer tightly in her hands. "The girls had taken to throwing things at me whenever I got too close so I stayed most of the time inside, trying to stay out of people's way. Silly me, I get bored too easily, so I found a window on the third floor and sat there and talked to myself." She smiled slightly. "I told myself stories and told them stories, stories about someone adopting me, stories about running away. Apparently I was too good at telling stories, because when Matron Akaris found me, she swore I was speaking to different disembodied voices. She said she saw me speaking to a bunch of hooded figures that disappeared when she screamed. She ran out of the room, locked the door, called the friars, and had them come pick me up."

"What happened with the friars?" Harry asked.

Anilla shrugged. "I don't remember, really. I know there was a priest there and he cast the demons out of me. I haven't done anything since." She paused and looked at him surprised. "You're the first person who hasn't reacted badly to my story."

"Well, that may be because I am a wizard and believe in magic." Harry responded.

Anilla smiled. "Yeah, that could be why."

They finished their butterbeers and each had a chocolate frog. Anilla laughed as hers jumped out of the packet and she had to try very hard to keep a hold of it. As they were walking out of the establishment, Harry asked her one final question.

"Anilla, what do you know about your parents?"

"Not much, Mr. Potter. Just that their last name was Riddle. I think one of the friars named me before they took me to the orphanage. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering, Anilla. Just wondering."

---------end flashback----------------

-----------------ooo-------------------------------

Anilla looked at Kari as they approached Platform 9. She saw a sign for Platform 9 and then Platform 10, where could the sign be for Platform 9 ¾? And wasn't this a bit of a conspicuous place for wizards and witches? They couldn't be sharing the trains with muggles, there'd be too many questions asked, wouldn't there? She was still astounded at the events of the past week. Not only had Kari convinced Matron Akaris to allow her to attend Hogwarts, but she had been shown that magic existed! Kari had taken her to a store and gotten her extra glasses and some colored contacts. Even though they were supposed to color her eyes blue, the red color of her eyes made them shine a light shade of purple. Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter had taken her to Diagon Alley and helped her pay for textbooks and robes, even got her a wand! Now, that was an interesting scene to remember.

----flashback----

"Now, Anilla, the most important thing we're going to buy today is your wand." Hermione said. "Ollivanders makes each wand unique, and you get matched to your wand. It's a way to focus your magical powers into spells."

Anilla smiled excitedly as she walked up to the counter and the shop owner approached.

"Now, now, who have we here?"

"I'm Anilla."

"Well, well, let's see where little Ms. Anilla's wand is. Try some of these." The wizard. "Go on now, give it a flick."

Anilla tested several wands, but none seemed to do much. One made a big explosion that left them all gasping for air. Harry quickly dispelled the smoke with a minor charm and smiled reassuringly at Anilla to keep trying. She was a little more careful with her flicks after that, no sense in bringing down the entire shop! Finally, she picked up a dark wand that made small sparkles when she picked it up and sent small shivers up her arm. Ollivander grinned. "There's your wand!" He paused for a moment. "Hmm, that one has been in the back for a few years now… very unusual indeed. Dark oak with a carefully crafted sliver of a basilisk fang."

"A what?"

"A basilisk fang, Mr. Potter." The small shop keeper repeated. "Actually, I believe this was made from the remains of the basilisk you slayed your second year at Hogwarts." Harry paled slightly. Anilla tugged his robe and asked quietly:

"Mr. Potter? What's a basilisk?" She thought it was a rather odd reaction. When Hermione told her it was a really large snake with big yellow eyes, she tried to give the wand back. "Can't I take one that's just made of wood?" she asked.

Ollivander shook his head. "No, little girl, that wand was made for you."

She thought it was a rather odd thing to say.

----end flashback----

Kari smiled as she spotted Harry leaning leisurely against a wall. He waved to catch their attention and walked over to meet them.

"Kari, Anilla. I trust your trip went well."

"Yes, Mr. Potter, thank you for asking." Kari smiled.

"And thank you again, for all the things." Anilla added, waving a hand at her trunk.

"I'm sure you're wondering how we get on our platform." Harry said quietly. "Actually, just watch that girl over there, I believe she's a second year student at Hogwarts." He pointed discreetly at a dark-haired girl followed by her parents, with her dad pulling her trunk while her mother carried a small owl in a cage. Kari and Anilla watched as they calmly walked to the wall—and kept walking straight through!

"Where'd they go?" Anilla watched in wonder.

"Onto Platform 9 ¾. Come on, it's our turn now. Relax, pretend the wall isn't there and step right through."

Anilla looked at the wall distrustfully. As she turned to look at Harry to ask another question, she noticed the wall shimmer, suddenly smiled and walked straight through.

Harry watched the girl as she showed the normal first-timer trepidation, then watched her walk straight onto the platform as if she'd done it or years. Even though Ron and Hermione hadn't been able to find much about her past other than a bunch of names of the friars and the priest who'd conducted the exorcism, he wasn't sure that there was that little to the girl's story. No one had been able to give convincing accounts of what magic she had been able to do as a child, although it did seem like they had stopped after the visit from the priest. He couldn't help but wonder what that experience would do to a child, especially a child that had magical powers rather than being possessed… now that would be interesting. Would that be as if one had been under the Imperius curse? Battling a ghost over control of one's body? He shook his head. He'd have to ask someone to keep an eye on her—perhaps Dobby. The house-elf's abilities could be helpful in watching over Anilla as long as he was strictly told that his role was observatory. Harry turned to Kari and gently took her elbow to guide her across onto the platform. One thing was for certain—Anilla was lucky to have had someone like Kari to help balance out her life in the orphanage.

Anilla stood looking around at her fellow classmates and their families. Whoever had suggested that she get colored contacts had been a genius, this was the first time she could remember being able to look at others without fear of seeing them cringe, curse, or throw things at her. She still felt a little too open and vulnerable without her glasses so she periodically used them and always had a pair with her. She smiled at Kari and Mr. Potter, who had crossed onto the platform behind her and motioned them to follow her. The Hogwarts Express was the most beautiful train she had ever seen.

"She's quite enamoured with your world, you know." Kari said softly. Harry remained silent as Anilla ran back.

"Kari, it's great! Look, everyone has owls!"

"I know we didn't get a chance to purchase you one, Ms. Riddle, but you will be able to use any of the school owls to send your correspondence to Ms. Kari." Harry said. "Now, you better run to the train and find a compartment to sit in, you don't want to be left behind!"

Anilla nodded and turned to Kari to give her a gentle hug. "Thank you so much for making this possible! I'll see you in a few months!"

Kari waved as Anilla ran on board. "Are red-eyed wizards or witches commonplace?" she asked Harry, her voice toneless as her smile grew more forced. Her eyes didn't move to look at the man standing next to her, instead, they stayed on the figure of the small girl joining the crowd of students boarding the train.

"No." Harry said softly, not turning either.

"Is it going to be trouble?"

"Maybe. But we'll try to take care of her, Ms. Kari."

Kari finally wrenched her eyes from Anilla as she boarded the train and sent one last wave before she entered the car. "That's all I ask for, that you take care of her." And with that, she turned and walked through the wall to rejoin the Muggle society, wondering if Anilla had just traded one nightmare for another.


	5. Riddle and Hogsmeade

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it's just fun to write and imagine about! Cannon characters belong to JK Rowling.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I greatly enjoy hearing from you, since it's my first fanfic.

* * *

Anilla paused as she layed down the quill and looked at the parchment she had been writing one. It was her third letter to Kari, and she was hoping that the elderly woman would reply to the first one. It had been about a month since she'd stepped off the Hogwarts Express and found herself being led onto carriages that moved on their own, through a beautiful forest and into the castle that was her new school. The Great Hall was beautiful and the magic utterly breathtaking. And even though the Sorting Hat hadn't placed her in the same house as her friend Pearl, they had found time to do homework and talk together before curfew. It was true that Pearl had her Gryffindor friends but she seemed to be able to make a little time each day to spend with Anilla. For her part, Anilla was more of a loner and stayed away from most of the other students. She had found early on that coming from an orphanage put her in an unknown category in the social hierarchy in the Slytherin house. And that was just as well.

----------- flashback--------------------

The sorting hat had been placed on the stool and everyone was waiting patiently as the first year students were sorted into their different houses. Anilla wondered listlessly where she would be placed.

"Pearl Longbottom." Anilla watched as her new friend walked up to the front of the hall.

"Gryffindor!" Pearl looked back at Anilla and smiled happily. Anilla gave her a covert thumbs-up sign as she waited for her name to be called.

Hermione was nearing Anilla's name and worried about what the reaction from the rest of the student body would be. Even though no one had advertised Voldemort's name as Tom Riddle, it was impossible that some of the students would not recognize the last name—the professors all knew, of course.

"Reanna Rabatros." A blonde haired girl walked up to the front of the Great Hall.

"Ravenclaw!"

"Tom Redbit."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Anilla Riddle."

Most of the professors paled and McGonagall suddenly gained new interest in the proceedings. This was the child she had been waiting to meet. A few of the seventh year students from Gryffindor and Slytherin quieted down when they heard the name, wondering if there was a connection with Tom Riddle. But with the great Harry Potter as one of their teachers, there shouldn't be a problem, right? If they were related, she wouldn't really be here, would she?

Harry was just glad that the few students who had known Voldemort's last name had been Riddle seemed to keep quiet as Anilla stepped up to the Sorting Hat. He made sure to look confident and reassuring, even if his thoughts kept tumbling in his head with what the results of this sorting might be and if it would signify anything.

"Aaaah. You're an interesting one."

Anilla was surprised to hear the hat speak to her, she thought that it just made a decision and told the school.

"Well, I could do that, but then I wouldn't get much fun out of it. Let's see… you have great ambition—"

"I do?"

"You certainly have the potential." The Sorting hat paused. "Your passions run deep and your craftiness would surely place you in Slytherin."

"But I'm not a pureblood, Mr. Sorting Hat." Anilla protested "They'd… well, I don't know what they'd do, but I don't think that would be pleasant."

"Not everyone in Slytherin is a pureblood, Ms. Riddle. And even though there may be great bravery in you, I believe you will follow some of your father's footsteps in the house of Slytherin."

"My father--?" Anilla started, but the Sorting Hat had already made its decision and crowed it for all those seated in the Great Hall to hear.

"Slytherin!"

She gave a sad look at where Pearl was sitting. It would've been nice to be in the same house as her new friend, but maybe this was for the best. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the hat's words while heading to the Slytherin table. Her father had been a Slytherin. Could she find some relatives among the world of wizards that would adopt her?

--------------------end flashback--------------------

Her professors had at first seemed to act strange around her, but she had found every class fascinating and proved to be a hard-working student. It frustrated her to no end that her magic seemed to be erratic and lacking power, even the simplest of spells confounded her. Potions was all right—she enjoyed the calculating exactness with which things needed to be made. That is, until a small charm was needed to help things along and she, almost without exception, was unable to make it work. That would usually be when Professor Snape would come by and frown at her, sometimes taking points from her house. He was definitely a lot more strict towards the Gryffindors though, as Pearl had soon found out. DADA, however, had been great fun. Professor Potter had deemed it more important to teach them theory and defensive spells, as well as some minor attacking ones, but had declared from the first day of class that they would have to wait until the next year to try their hand on more dangerous things. That sat fine with her—she didn't think it was prudent to have eleven year olds firing curses at each other anyway.

Anilla looked over the parchment and smiled at her paragraph on learning how to ride a broom. It had been exhilarating to feel so free in the air—until the broom had decided that it had had enough of its rider and she'd fallen uncontrollably to the ground. Madame Hooch had been able to help slow her descent but she had still come out with a sprained ankle. Thankfully, Madame Pomfrey had been able to sort her out fairly quickly and she'd ended up enjoying a nice cup of tea with her to top it off.

She walked to the owlery and picked a small owl to deliver her letter. Anilla carefully tied the letter to its foot, whispered to it, and sent it on its way. She sighed as she watched it fly away. She had finished her homework earlier that afternoon and suddenly had the urge to do some more work on her secret project. She ran down the stairs and headed to the library. She hadn't forgotten what the Sorting Hat had said about her father and while classes and learning about the wizarding world in general had kept her quite occupied the last few weeks, she wasn't about to give up. She had already looked at numerous books but hadn't found anything related to the name "Riddle". All she wanted was her father's first name, a picture, something—oh, all right, if she was being truthful, she wanted every single detail she could get her hands on, and now she had all afternoon to work on it!

By dinner time, she was quite ready for a break. She'd found some interesting books about the history of Hogwarts, but hadn't been able to pin point much more than a name. Tom Riddle. She had found a fun book on Professor Potter though, and she was going to take a break from her personal project to find out a little more about him. After dinner, though. Right now, her stomach was urging her towards food. And tomorrow, Professor Flitwick was going to take the first years to Hogsmeade and she almost squealed in delight. She loved the school, but it would be lots of fun to see what else the wizarding world had to offer as well.

-------------------oooo-------------------------------------

It was Friday and Harry was in his office catching up on work when the floo network activated and McGonagall's head appeared.

"Harry! Dementors have been sighted heading to Hogsmeade! The children--"

"I'll head there immediately." Harry quickly grabbed a cloak and ran out. The first and second year students had recently left for their day trip to the nearby town, with only a couple of professors with them. They might be all right, but considering Ron's reports of the Ministry's attempts to track Dementors that seemed to be moving in packs of ten or twenty, it was highly improbable.

As soon as he got past the schools wards, Harry apparated to Hogsmeade. Immediately, the air seemed colder and the day more forlorn. With his wand out, he ran down the deserted street towards the three Broomsticks, where he spotted some dementors.

"Expecto Patronum!"

He ran inside as his Patronus stampeded towards the dementors who seemed to be circling the building. Inside, he found Professor Flitwick making his own Patronus while Madame Rosmerta tried to calm the children. Unfortunately, there were enough dementors that when some were chased away, others would quickly take their place.

"Harry!" Flitwick looked very glad to see him. "Thank goodness. Are Auror's on their way?" Harry nodded.

"Are these all the children?" He asked, as he put up a defensive stance and watched the dementors through the window. It was eerie how they had suddenly turned up again a few weeks ago. He'd been hearing rumors from Ron that the Ministry was getting calls of them turning up again after years of absence. I guess hoping that they'd leave when Voldemort was defeated was too much to ask, he thought. Suddenly, the oppressive feeling lifted and the dementors left. Harry shared a look with Flitwick before cautiously heading outside. With the number of Dementors that had been outside, it had been a matter of when the Aurors would arrive to tip the balance of power and drive the Dementors away, but he hadn't seen or heard anyone arrive. The street was still deserted, but none of the dementors returned. Suddenly there was a small pop on his side. Turning swiftly with his wand out, Harry saw Dobby wringing his hands and banging his head on the floor.

"Dobby?" He had asked the house-elf to help him watch Anilla. Anilla! Was she inside with the rest of the group? He darted his head back inside but couldn't see the girl at first glance. "Dobby!"

"Master Harry! Oh! Master Harry, Dobby is bad! Bad Dobby, not able, not—"

"Dobby, stop this instant." Dobby looked up at him tearfully. "Dobby, where is Anilla?"

At the same moment, he turned as a small group of students ran out of Honeyduke's Sweetshop.

"Professor Potter!!"

"Ms. Longbottom?" He addressed little Pearl Longbottom, who was almost the complete opposite of his friend and her uncle, Neville Longbottom.

"They took Anilla!" she said tearfully, shaking as the after effects of being near dementors threatened to overwhelm her.

Harry led the group quickly to the Three Broomsticks and borrowed a broom. He immediately took off and scouted the area, but he couldn't see any sign of the Dementors. Regretfully, he returned to the ground to find Dobby hitting his head on the ground again. "Master Harry, Dobby tried, but Dobby—Dobby couldn't face the dementors, dementors bad! Dobby bad, Dobby failed—"

"Dobby, you are to stop acting like you're guilty of what has happened. You will help me find her." Harry ordered, knowing that only diverting the house elf would have any chance of stopping him before he could do himself a serious injury. He stepped back into the Three Broomsticks, where Professor Flitwick seemed to have finally calmed most of the students. "We will all head back to Hogwarts now." Although he sounded calm and collected even to himself, his thoughts were flying in different directions. Where could they have taken her? WHY? And how had they known?

"But Professor Potter!" Pearl cried, "We need to find Anilla! They—they took her—"

Harry quickly dropped to one knee and looked at the small shaking girl in the eyes. "We can't go after her right now, Pearl. We don't know where they went. The best we can do is go back to Hogwarts and get a group of Aurors together to do an organized search." The young girl nodded hesitantly and hugged his neck. Harry sighed and returned the hug reassuringly. He picked the girl up and started walking back to the school, the rest of the group following them somberly.

-----------------------ooo----------------------------------

"I was against this from the beginning. I knew the minute I heard her name that she was trouble." Snape snapped, stalking the headmistress's office as Harry slipped in to join the meeting.

"But did you even think about what you were doing before letting her into the school and taught her magic?" He continued.

McGonagall looked up as Harry slipped in, and he sent her a small shake of the head. He'd gone back to Hogsmeade, but couldn't find anything that could help them determine where the dementors could have taken Anilla. McGonagall let Snape rant for a few more minutes and then cut in.

"Unfortunately," McGonagall started, "The Minister says that there is no precedence for this and they aren't sure that they can spare Aurors with dementors popping out in unexpected places all of a sudden. Ron is going to try to recruit some of his Auror friends to see if they can help. He gave me some information on the locations of other recent dementor sightings. Unfortunately, they have a legitimate reason for trying to not spread themselves too thin." She sighed. "Luscious has escaped from Azkaban."

"What?" Snape thundered. Ever since Voldemort had fallen, the dementors had been listless and many had deserted their posts, leading to Aurors taking a larger brunt in keeping the prison safe.

McGonagall glanced at him warningly. "We will have to recruit friends to make a search party for Ms. Riddle."

"Why bother?" Severus sneered. "You just let her in here, gave her a wand, and then the opportunity to join the Dark forces. Can you imagine what kind of power she might wield? This is Voldemort's child we are talking about. She's probably already having them swear loyalty to her!"

"Severus!" McGonagall stood up and glared. "She is a child and not an imminent dark force!"

"And you forget how erratic her magic has been." Harry added. "I doubt she could do much right now, but I don't think she would want to."

McGonagall nodded. "However, precautions will still need to be taken."

Harry raised an eyebrow. What was this about now?

"There's Old Magic that can use a child to revive the spirit of the parents, although the effect is said to be temporary. And before we know exactly what is going on, the Ministry is ordering us to treat her as a potential enemy."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Search and capture, then ask questions?" He asked coldly.

"That is what the Ministry will do if they find her, even if they are not committing to providing help to do so."

Harry noticed the implied comment in McGonagall's statement. Maybe Dumbledore was finally rubbing off on her. His lips twitched as he held back a surprised smile. McGonagall wanted them to find Anilla first, and that's what they would do. "I will inform the Order." He said as he rose from his seat.

He remembered his conversation with Anilla last night as he sent messages to select members of the Order.

------------flashback-----------------

Anilla walked down the halls quickly, clutching the book to her chest so tightly that her knuckles were white. There were too many coincidences to ignore, although there might be, she was hoping there would be, another explanation. She just hoped that Professor Potter was still in his classroom.

"Professor Potter?"

"Yes Anilla? How can I help you?" Harry replied, standing up from behind his desk. He watched as the young girl stalked up, dropped a book on his desk, flipped open to a particular page turned it around to face him and stared with her jaw clenched. He raised his eyebrows, looked down and felt the blood drain from his face.

"Did you kill my father?"

It was a history book detailing the stories and adventures of the young Harry Potter, complete with a history of Lord Voldemort. If he remembered correctly, it was one of the more obscure references that contained Voldemort's actual name and a description of his body when he had returned.

"Did you kill my father?" she asked again. Her real question would have been "Was that my father?" but that was too painful to ask at that point.

Harry sighed and closed the book. "Yes, Anilla. I did."

------------ooo------------------------

"Please come into my office so we can speak freely." Harry led Anilla to the back of the classroom, where there was a small hallway connecting to his office. He motioned for her to sit in one of the armchairs while sitting himself in a chair across from her.

"Anilla, your father was a very powerful wizard. But however powerful he was, he ultimately was misguided and chose to do a lot of harm to the wizarding world to support his beliefs." He looked at her to see her reaction. Her face was impassive.

"Was he really as bad as the books make them out to be?" She whispered, looking down at the book clutched in her hands.

"Yes."

"I don't know if I disagree with his beliefs." She said softly. "Wizards _are_ more powerful than muggles, magic gives them an edge that not even technology has been able to surpass."

Harry looked at her surprised. This was not what he had expected when he'd played out this conversation in his head. He had been bracing himself for a young child's grief and anger, a feeling of betrayal from someone that had held out a hand to seemingly help her adjust into a new world, not a philosophical discourse.

"I don't know if what he did was right," Anilla continued. "If it was what the books say, what everyone here says, I don't think I agree with his methods. Voldemort did a lot of harm to a lot of people. But you know what they say about history—it's only those that win that get to tell their side of the story." She looked up and suddenly, Harry knew there was more that was tormenting her and her worries had been there for a very, very long time. "If he was so evil, what does that make me?"

Harry stood up, quickly walked over to her and took her into his arms. "A child, Anilla. Just a child." She sobbed into his shoulder.

"I don't want to be the devil's daughter."

Harry pulled away briefly while holding on to her shoulders. "Your father may have made many bad choices Anilla, but that says nothing of what your own choices will be. You make your own future. Look at me, Anilla." She raised her head slightly and he wiped some tears off of her cheek. "When Hermione—Ms. Granger, and I went to the orphanage to see you, we were a little worried about who you would turn out to be. But what we found was a child like any other child. Why do you think we helped you come to Hogwarts?"

Anilla shrugged. "To keep an eye on me?"

"To help you become knowledgeable in your choices. You don't need to follow your father's footsteps."

"But—but the Sorting Hat, it said—it said that I would—"

"And that silly hat also told me that I should go to Slytherin when where I belonged was in Gryffindor." Harry smiled. "Do you remember that story about the Chamber of Secrets and the basilisk that was in there?" Anilla nodded. "I used the Sword of Gryffindor to win that battle. I wouldn't have been able to do that if I hadn't been a true Gryffindor. The hat takes a quick look at your talents and makes a decision on which house you might belong to, but in reality, most people can fit in more than one house. Part of your education here comes from your interactions with your peers and the different environments in the four houses help to provide each student with a unique experience. And not all Slytherins are bad." He smirked. "Professor Snape was a Slytherin."

"And he might be mean, but he's not really bad." Anilla whispered, smiling. "He helped you and Mr. Dumbledore, didn't he?"

"Yes, and what he did required a lot of bravery." Harry said, smiling. He stood up and conjured some hot chocolate for both of them, handing a cup to her. She took it gladly as he sat back down on his chair.

"We do have to be careful about who knows this information though." Harry cautioned. "Not everyone is as level-headed as you are and many could jump to the wrong conclusion about you." Anilla nodded sadly. "It's just a name, Anilla." He continued. "Just a name. Don't forget that."

"Do I have any other relatives?" she asked shyly.

"Not that I know of, unless your mother shows up." Harry said thoughtfully. "Tom Riddle was also raised in an orphanage with muggles before he came to Hogwarts and I'm not aware of him having had any siblings."

"Okay." She looked up at the clock on his wall. "Thank you, Professor Potter." Anilla put down the cup. "I should really go, I have detention with Professor Snape in five minutes." Harry raised an eyebrow. "I—um… I melted a fellow Slytherin's cauldron because he insulted a Hufflepuff girl for being a mudblood."

Harry laughed. "Good for you. I hope Snape isn't too hard on you." Anilla smiled and walked to the door. "And Anilla?" he added as she looked back. "If you ever want to talk about anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Professor Potter."

-----------------------oooo-----------------------------

No, he shook his head. No matter what the Snape suspected, she had not gone to plan on bringing back her father. Could they force her into it? He'd have to ask Hermione if she knew anything about that kind of magic. And if they were wrong—he didn't even want to start down that road. If he had to face Voldemort again, he didn't know if they could hold him back again.


End file.
